On Again, Off Again.

I was always super fascinated by guitars and guitar players. I played in the band, so I could read music, but playing in a chordal manner was foreign to me. I guess that is why I was always so enticed by guitarists.

When I got to college, my roomate had a guitar, and she taught me my first two chords, D and C. I can only assume she did this to dissuade me from ever touching it again - I thought my wrist would break on the C, and the D was frustrating because I kept hitting more than the allotted four strings.

The next year, I picked it up again, and this time, she showed me Em. Now that was a chord I could get along with. Play all the strings, Nice "full bodied chord"...I started looking up songs I liked on the internet - finding ones that had the chords written out for me, and I played on the weekends she was home.

Got my first acoustic guitar that Christmas, and I've been playing on and off ever since. I married a guitar player, and I bowed to his superior abilities - much easier to let him play than to try to learn...but he was a military man, and on deployments, the guitar was my lover. I slept with it, I woke up with my fingers itching for it...I took it everywhere with me -

I had kids, and got away from it for a bit, but now, it's back again. I sleep with it sometimes, I itch for it...I can just sit for hours, playing nonsense. It's the only therapy I really need, I think. I've been playing for twelve years now, and I have so much still to learn. I don't think my love affair with my guitar will ever end.

Playing the guitar is one way of expressing yourself, i like to fill my lonely moments with fulfilling a destiny that is of my own design and that is to strum out the music that lies within my soul, it's God given and i'm taking it. it's like an answer to something, More people should reach for self worth rather than be looking for someone else to give them worthiness.

Destry - I only have two, and the baby has been lost for the last couple of weeks. He misses his brother. He's slowly settling into a routine of enjoying unrestricted and unmolested access to all their toys though - and loves it.<br />Very quiet. That's a good thing, right?<br /><br />Scooby - ok, no spitting. Just trying to, um, prove I belonged in the cave? And announcing that you had one clued me in to your gender :0)

Destry -I think you'd mentioned that before, and I'd gotten it muddled. Well then, I challenge you to learn three new chords this week. I self taught. It's pretty easy. If you're game, I'll find an easy-ish song, and you can learn. <br />Pick that strat up and show her some love!!!<br /><br />Scooby - I also had been thinking you were a chick, lol. Guys are allowed to say guys are hot, but you gotta tell us you're a guy first! <br /><br />*giddy from being invited into a man cave* <br />*usually gets perfunctorily ejected from them*

So sweet, Tekk. Don't get me started on long distance playing! I have done that with many people, and have such good memories of it...<br /><br />Easy way to get the kids to play? "DON'T TOUCH THAT GUITAR!! IT'S TUNED!!!!!"<br /><br />It's like candy to them. <br /><br /><br />Scooby - I wanna come to your man cave. I want to have a man cave. Why cant girls have man caves??

I can't play worth a hoot but I love my guitar. Same with my spouse. We used to play songs long distance over the phone. It made the guitar that much more important, intimate, soulful. I just love that the little one is just as interested in playing. Music brings heart and soul into your life or at least it paints it a more vibrant color. : )

Oh that is so sweet! Here in my man cave are 2 classical, an acoustic 6 string, an acoustic 12 string (I am self teaching Wish You Were Here on this), my electric plus an electric I am building, my son's electric, my step daughters electric, my Uke...LOL. My other step daughter I can hear her upstairs playing right now on her acoustic. Plus a keyboard and a Baby Grand! It's freakin' AWESOME! I'd love to try out a mandolin sometime!

Destry - pull up a stool and grab a 6-string!! Learning is easy, putting it down is the hard part. <br />Why did I think you played?<br /><br />Scooby - I love acoustic the best, also. I think we have six acoustics and three electrics here. Plus a 6 string bass and a two mandolins...my home is never quiet, lol.

I have 6 guitars and concentrate now mainly on the classical, but I love playing acoustically and even occasionally electrically. Funny, I never liked classical until I started playing it and now that is my main area of interest.

Hello kindred spirit! I don't sleep with any of my guitars (yet) but I am almost never more than 6 feet away from one. It is my major stress reliever and something that I am learning to maybe connect with other people with, using music as a language. Nice to 'meet' you!

Music is absolutely therapy! I feel the same way about the piano. I just feel so sad and stressed if I go a long time without playing. <br /><br />They've done studies about music...it actually affects your health. It can lower your blood pressure, regulate your blood sugar, boost your immune system, and all sorts of crazy things. Good for the body and the soul!

thats a rather silly statement.it you let guitar playing becomes a habit instead of an enjoyment then where do you end.walking past the tea pot and pouring tea or coffee all day long just because you see the pot is a simple habit and so it is with anything else you cannot progress if these this are just a habit cause most of the time you'll be playing (struggling)to play the same old songs over and over again and not even realise that you not progressing it only surface when some ask you to play a song then that very song included in your habit zone will be played have way as you would have forgotten the next few bars.

The last time traveled, I took my electric with me. It took a bit of argument to get them to let me carry it on, but finally they did. I remember playing on layovers, and people kept dropping change in my case! I didn't know whether to be insulted or flattered...

I'm sure they are frustrating for the teacher...I never thought about that. <br /><br />People say, ooh, I wish I could play that - you make me sick! They don't realize that I play for two or more hours most days. When I say I sleep with it, I mean I fall asleep playing, and wake up wanting to play. It takes perseverance and patience, and all those not-fun things to learn. <br /><br />But it's absolutely worth it.

Ye Its hard to go without i went traveling and didnt have access to a guitar was really weird i missed it more then sex in someways haha<br /><br />But its hard at the beginning I teach guitar and I find the first few months are the most frusterating for me as well as my students

i wish i had the patience to really learn how to play. i took about 10 lessons and when i couldn't cover eddie van halen after that i got frustrated and gave up. then i tried teaching myself for awhile and not only can i not cover van halen i still can't play a simple christmas carol someone gave me the music for yellow rose of texas a few years ago and i can play it but not at the right speed its kind of a start and stop thing LOL

why not try a more easier style of playing for a while first and learn to enjoy it rather than making it a tedious task.i have been playing forthe last since my high school days and those were mostly rock song of beatle,marmade ,doobie bro etc but it took time to read music and enjoy it .set a time aside each dat for a hour to practise scales,chords etc so as to get use to the chordal changes and sooner you get over this the quicker you will get good ear training and in no time playing any song will be a breeze for you and you will enjoy this more good luck